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Markham traffic island littered with construction debris: The Fixer

The island was rebuilt 18 months ago but is still in need of finishing touches.

A traffic island built about 18 months ago on Markham Rd., just south of the intersection at 16th Ave., wasn't properly finished and is littered with trash and construction debris. (JACK LAKEY / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

“For years, the corner had a beautiful traffic island that once had a nice flower bed and trees,” he said, noting the work “replaced it with a traditional island.”

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“For nearly a year and half it has been left unfinished, unfilled and full of trash,” he said, adding that the south end of the island is still marked by a temporary sign.

We went there and found a long, narrow island bordered by curbs that still look fairly new. But the mess inside the curbs makes it dowdy and forlorn, when it’s supposed to be fresh and clean.

Road improvements are almost always done by contractors and inspected by local transportation officials to ensure the work meets the standards and specifications laid out in the contract.

It looks as if the job was abandoned before the junk was cleaned up and the finishing touches applied, which has us wondering why the contractor hasn’t returned to complete it.

It’s hard not to conclude somebody dropped the ball. How could more than a year pass without properly finishing the job?

STATUS: York Region’s media office told us it’s a Town of Markham project. Dennis Flaherty, who deals with media for Markham, called to say the island is part of the much larger reconstruction of Markham Rd. that has taken place over the past year, not 18 months. Because it’s part of a local heritage area, rebuilding it involved lengthy consultation with community groups, who have agreed that the island will be filled with interlocking brick, said Flaherty. The bricks are scheduled to be installed in the next four to five weeks, he added.

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